Saturday, June 26, 2010
Is the Acacia Senegal (Gum Arabic) the solution to desertification?
In an attempt to keep the world’s largest hot desert from getting any larger, African leaders want to build a wall of trees across the continent to stop the Sahara from encroaching into Central Africa. The “Great Green Wall” would be nine miles wide and more than 4,800 miles long while, extending across eleven African countries (Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti).
Representatives from the 11 countries recently met in Chad to discuss the initiative, which enjoys the support of the African Union and President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, which established the Great Green Wall website.
Lack of funding has kept the project from moving forward. However, on June 17, the Global Environment Facility pledged $119 million to be divided among the eleven countries
Supporters believe the wall of trees would slow down soil erosion, reduce wind speeds and help the ground retain rain water to stop the Sahara from growing.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
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